Hand Puppet Item Number: 3381/23 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Calungo hand puppet of a 'Baltazar' character. Head and hands are carved from wood and painted. He has dark brown-black skin, small circular black eyes with white eyelashes, flat nose, and thin red lips. He has painted short black hair, that is covered by a woven wide brim hat. His fabric body / tunic is off-white with purple flowers, and he wears a small red poncho overtop. The fabric is nailed to the hands. Operated by inserting a hand inside the body of the puppet to control its head and movements.
History Of Use
The puppet represents a character from a form of popular puppet theatre, found in northeastern Brazil, called mamulengo. This type of theatre is prevalent in disenfranchised communities with ancestral ties to colonized Indigenous peoples and uprooted, enslaved Africans. Mamulengo performances are entertaining events that can last all night long, with puppeteers (mamulengueiros) using 70 to 100 puppets in one staging. The stages are pop-up stands (empanadas), made of brightly coloured, floral-printed cloth. The shows consist of short sequences (passagens), or skits from popular stories that expose the inequalities and dramas of everyday life, profiling stock characters such as rich landowners and peasant labourers. The whole is spun together with humour, satire, lively music, and audience commentary.
Item History
- Made by Marcos Araujo (Maker) in Icapui, Ceara, Brazil during 2018
- Owned by Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro before July 25, 2019
- Received from Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Exhibitions Budget (Funding source) on July 25, 2019
What
- Name
- Hand Puppet
- Identification Number
- 3381/23
- Type of Item
- puppet
- Material
- wood, fibre, paint and plant fibre
- Overall
- height 50.5 cm, width 41.5 cm, depth 10.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Brazilian
- Creator
- Marcos Araujo (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro
- Received from
- Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Exhibitions Budget (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Icapui, Ceara, Brazil
When
- Creation Date
- during 2018
- Ownership Date
- before July 25, 2019
- Acquisition Date
- on July 25, 2019
Other
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 3381/0023